From the Onion:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:51 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Oh, that's great! Have you ever read Science Made Stupid? It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Right up there with Do It Yourself Brain Surgery and Other Home Skills.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at September 28, 2007 06:36 PM (Yh9SA)

2 ROFLMAO!!! I want one.

Posted by: Teresa at September 28, 2007 10:02 PM (rVIv9)

3 Do they sell these anywhere, and if so, could I make some science with it?

Posted by: pam at September 29, 2007 06:55 AM (l6NIn)

4 I especially like the note: super-heated science.

Posted by: Aaron at September 29, 2007 09:58 AM (x57wb)

5 Per Ken, Science Made Stupid was genius. "Doctor Stupid, why is the sky blue? Because it reflects the sea." The diagram reminds me of the complicated meaningless diagram to illustrate why the Moon stays in orbit instead of falling into the Earth, at the end of which they say, "nevertheless, it's probably a good idea to stay inside as much as possible."

Posted by: Dave J at September 29, 2007 12:58 PM (DU1Mm)

6 Hmmm, intersting. I didn't realize the machine needed scienteists. HEHEHEHE. BlogCrawl!

Posted by: Contagion at September 30, 2007 12:19 AM (QQZMi)

7 "Turn up the Flash Gordon noise and put more science stuff around!"

Posted by: nightfly at October 01, 2007 09:19 AM (PuuC1)

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Magic Brownies are for amateurs. Check out these scooby-doobie snacks:

Federal agents said Thursday that they shut down a factory that made marijuana-laced barbecue sauce, chocolate-covered pretzels and other "enhanced" snacks intended for medical users of the drug.

The Drug Enforcement Agency said it arrested three people Wednesday and is looking for a fourth who operated Oakland-based Tainted Inc.

Agents also seized 460 marijuana plants and other laced products including candy bars, cookies, marshmallow pies, ice cream, peanut butter, jelly, energy drinks and "Rice Krispy treats."

Tainted Inc. was launched by Michael Martin, 33, of El Sobrante as a small operation that made laced chocolate truffles. When it was raided Wednesday, the company was shipping products to medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California and in Seattle; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Amsterdam. [--emphasis mine, Ed.]

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:22 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 survival of the fittest

Posted by: Greta at September 28, 2007 09:27 AM (Xl4tG)

2 Wait a minute. Tainted, Inc. ? Tainted, Inc? Why would anyone think it a good idea to name your food business Tainted? Aside from truth in advertising laws. One one hand it invites scrutiny from the media and the government. On the other hand, it would seem likely to drive away potential customers. Oh well. Forget logic.... have a brownie, and it will all make sense!

Posted by: Bill at September 28, 2007 10:24 AM (bpbQx)

3 the munchies and the solution for the munchies, all in one bite

Posted by: jane at September 28, 2007 01:16 PM (d/RyS)

4 Marijuana laced barbecue sauce and Moon Pies!? They'd be a hit in the South! Happy BlogCrawl 2007!

Posted by: Bitterroot at September 29, 2007 06:54 PM (jZGuZ)

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Even the cops.  They might not be who you think they are....

The Los Angeles Police Department said Friday morning that officers had arrested a man who allegedly impersonated a police officer and robbed an elderly couple at knifepoint in their Reseda townhouse.

[...]

When the robber knocked on the couple's door, he identified himself as an officer and asked about an auto accident that they had been involved in earlier in the day. The robber pulled out a knife when he was asked to show identification.

At first LAPD were afraid that the couple might have been targeted by information leaked from their office, however (and of course they didn't just come out and say this) it seems that the thief is linked to the accident.  What the police ARE saying is that the arrest is a DIRECT result of follow up on the accident investigation by Traffic Division.

Clearly this was a well-planned criminal endeavor.  The purchase of the uniform indicates that much.  So watch out.  There are assholes out there who will hit your car, get your information and come to your house late at night to rob you, posing as the police.

Some tips:
1.  If the police knock on your door, ALWAYS ask for Badge and ID.  A real policeman will generally offer it before you ask, or will hand it over without question.

2.  If you are still unsure, ask the policeman for a moment to verify the credentials.  It's ok to call 911 (or your local PD number if you have it handy) and verify the name and badge number as an on-duty officer assigned to come to your home.

3. If you are unsure that the car attempting to pull you over is a real policeman (unfortunately there were a number of sexual assaults in LA in the past with guys posing as cops...), put on your flashers, and get to a secure, well-lighted place with people around, such as a gas station, etc.  A real cop won't be put off when you explain your concern for your safety, and you just might deter a bad guy.

4.  If you are in an accident, insist the police come to the scene.  In many jurisdictions, including City of Los Angeles, the police have a system for collecting information from ALL parties, and keeping that confidential.  All the parties get is a five-digit case number, which, along with the officer's name and the date/time of the accident can be used by the INSURANCE company to get the accident report and the parties' personal information.  Actually, anyone with that information can get a copy of the report, but it costs around $20, a bad investment for a crook, generally.  Furthermore, if something like what happened to the couple in the story happens to you, if the police come to the accident scene, they already know where to find the bad guys.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:49 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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A real life couple is divorcing after unwittingly playing out the plot to Rupert Holmes 1979 hit "Escape"....Alas, there would be no happy ending this time:

A married couple are divorcing after they chatted each other up on the Internet using fake names.

Sana Klaric and husband Adnan poured their hearts out to each other over their marriage troubles.

Using the names 'Sweetie' and 'Prince of Joy' in a online chatroom, the pair thought they had found a soulmate with whom to spend the rest of their lives.

[...]

Sana, 27, said: 'I was suddenly in love. It was amazing, we seemed to be stuck in the same kind of miserable marriages. How right that turned out to be.'

But when it dawned on her what had happened, she said: 'I felt so betrayed.'

Adnan, 32, said: 'I still find it hard to believe that Sweetie, who wrote such wonderful things, is actually the same woman I married and who has not said a nice word to me for years.'

h/t The Pirate via IM more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:42 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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Eat this, truthers.

Dr Keith Seffen set out to test mathematically whether this chain reaction really could explain what happened in Lower Manhattan six years ago. The findings are published in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics.

Previous studies have tended to focus on the initial stages of collapse, showing that there was an initial, localised failure around the aircraft impact zones, and that this probably led to the progressive collapse of both structures.

Once the collapse began, it was destined to be "rapid and total."

In other words, the damaged parts of the tower were bound to fall down, but it was not clear why the undamaged building should have offered little resistance to these falling parts.

"The initiation part has been quantified by many people; but no one had put numbers on the progressive collapse," Dr Seffen told the BBC News website.

Dr Seffen was able to calculate the "residual capacity" of the undamaged building: that is, simply speaking, the ability of the undamaged structure to resist or comply with collapse.

His calculations suggest the residual capacity of the north and south towers was limited, and that once the collapse was set in motion, it would take only nine seconds for the building to go down.

This is just a little longer than a free-falling coin, dropped from the top of either tower, would take to reach the ground.

[...]

He added that his calculations showed this was a "very ordinary thing to happen" and that no other intervention, such as explosive charges laid inside the building, was needed to explain the behaviour of the buildings.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:55 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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